The present invention relates to a turn-and-bank indicator which can indicate the turning time or angle of an airplane.
In any of the airplanes a turn-and-bank indicator is mounted and it indicates the turning rate of the airplane when it turns.
FIG. 1 shows a front view of such a usually used conventional turn-in-bank indicator.
It is general that a pointer 1 of the conventional turn-and-bank indicator is operated by a gyro. Gyrogimbals are restrained by a return spring and so they rotate freely, but only at a limited range, around the X axis of the airplane while it is made not rotatable around the Z axis. The rotational axle of the gyro is horizontal and rotates around the Y axis, while the gimbals are provided with a pivot in the direction of the X axis, as clearly shown in FIG. 9. With the structure above mentioned, the power generated by the turning of the airplane is changed into precession torque, and the pointer 1 moves and makes an indication which is in proportion to the turning angular velocity. According to the turn-and-bank indicator shown in FIG. 1, the width of each of three indicating scales 2 is made equal to the width of the pointer 1, and the turning of the airplane corresponding to the movement of the pointer 1 for its width is called the pointer width turning or the coordinate turning. The numeral 3 shows a bank indicater.
In the case of the coordinate turning of the above turn-and-bank indicator, two types are generally known, one which represents 180.degree. /min. turning angle velocity and the other of 90.degree. /min. They are called two and four minute turning indicators, respectively. Usually, the four minute turning indicators have been used in larger airplanes. Conventionally, the operator has started the coordinate turning by confirming the second hand of a watch and terminated the turning after the lapse of time corresponding to the desired turning angle.
An object of this invention is to provide a turn-and-bank indicator which may give an indication of the turning rate of the airplane by the pointer and simultaneously may digitally display the integration with respect to time of the amount of the displacement of the pointer of the turn-and-bank indicator. In other words, the object of the present invention is to provide a turn-and-bank indicator in which the lapsed turning time or turning angle can be displayed on the dial of the turn-and-bank indicator, to which the pilot pays his attention most frequently when the airplane is turning, so as to provide the pilot an easier operation.